Messiah - live performance to be broadcast in UK cinemas

Handel’s Messiah will be the first ever choral performance to be streamed live via satellite to cinemas across the UK and Europe on Palm Sunday, April 5, courtesy of Arts Alliance Media. The live screening will be in High Definition and 5.1 surround sound.

The world famous King’s College Choir, Cambridge, will sing the best loved choral masterpiece from the magnificent setting of King’s College Chapel. The award-winning choir’s performance starring soloists Ailish Tynan (soprano), Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano), Allan Clayton (tenor) and Matthew Rose (bass) will be streamed live to cinemas to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel and the 800th anniversary of the prestigious University of Cambridge.

The King’s College Choir dates back to the mid-1400s and consists of sixteen choristers and fourteen choral scholars. Arts Alliance Media will now share their revered rendition of Handel’s Messiah with over 90 cinemas across Europe.

The performance is the cornerstone of the Easter at King’s festival of music and services. Conducted by Stephen Cleobury, Director of Music for the choir at King’s College, Messiah will also feature the Academy of Ancient Music, one of the world’s first and finest period-instrument ensembles now in its fourth decade. They have performed across six continents, made over 250 recordings and were the first orchestra to record all of Mozart’s symphonies on period instruments.

Cleobury says: "We are all hugely excited about bringing Handel's wonderful music from this superb building to a wider audience."

George Frideric Handel’s crowning masterpiece, his oratorio Messiah, changed his life at its premiere in 1742. Prior to Messiah’s success, Handel found himself on the verge of bankruptcy, depressed and broken following the failure of several of his operas. Today, Handel’s Messiah remains as one of the most popular pieces in Western choral literature.

Handel based Messiah on a libretto by Charles Jennens that employs verses from the Bible to present the life of Jesus. The work is in three sections: the Advent and Christmas, Christ’s passion and the events told in the Revelation to St John.

For participating cinemas in your area visit www.artsalliancemedia.com